Our daughter was born with severe hearing loss in both ears. For the past two years, she has lived in a world without sound — unable to hear our voices, everyday noises, or the cues children rely on to learn and connect. As a result, her speech and communication have been significantly delayed. She is doing her very best to find her own ways to communicate, but without access to sound, it is incredibly difficult for her to express herself or learn in the way other hearing children naturally do.

After months of testing and uncertainty, we finally have a way forward: she is eligible for bilateral cochlear implants, offering her the chance to hear for the very first time and begin developing spoken language.

But time matters.

The NHS waiting list for cochlear implants is currently too long, and waiting would cause irreversible delays in her speech and language development during these crucial early years. Because our work requires us to live abroad, we are not eligible for NHS support, leaving us unable to access this vital treatment through the public system. Every month that passes makes it harder for her to catch up, and she cannot learn to process sound or begin speaking until she has the surgery. Maddie has become super smart finding her own ways and is trying to create her own gestures to talk but is becoming increasingly difficult for her to progress the older she becomes.

We have been incredibly fortunate to secure a place for her at Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of the leading centres for paediatric cochlear implantation. This gives her a real and immediate chance but accessing this privately comes with a significant financial burden, one that we never began to imagine, especially as our insurance does not cover congenital hearing loss.

Your support will help us cover:

Bilateral cochlear implant surgery

External processors and essential equipment

Activation and mapping sessions

Ongoing speech and auditory therapy

Anything raised beyond the surgical costs will go directly toward the therapy she will need to learn to understand sound, form words, and communicate confidently.

We never imagined being in a position where we needed help, but this surgery is truly life-changing for her. Every contribution, share, or message of support helps bring her closer to hearing her first sounds and being able to express herself in the way she has been trying so hard to do.

Thank you for taking the time to read her story and for helping us give her the chance she deserves.